Number Two on the Laundry List of Donald Trump’s Accomplishments
Here’s the next on the list I was sent:
2. Empowered military.
As I said yesterday, this is a very generalized, generic list, but since these ideas are used as talking points to support the President I’m addressing them as well as I can.
I think what this second point must be referring to is the idea that, as the Washington Examiner (a pro-Trump news outlet) says, “Empowered military leaders to ‘seize the initiative and win,’ reducing the need for a White House sign off on every mission.” That announcement has indeed been made by the White House. I’m not at all sure that the WH has ever had to “sign off on every mission,” but we’ll accept it as read.
Here’s the thing, though: Since we’re talking about the accomplishments of Donald Trump, with here the point being his role as commander-in-chief, then we have to address his overall behavior, not just one directive he’s made. The two words “empowered military” could generate pages and pages of commentary regarding how he’s misusing the military and weakening US credibility, which by extension weakens all our representatives, including those who serve in the armed forces. Two examples: his sending troops to the US-Mexico border over Thanksgiving and his impulsive, now-largely-pulled-back announcement of troop withdrawal in Syria, leading to the resignation of Jim Mattis.
Our troops deserve a President who understands policy, who listen to good advisers, and who isn’t in thrall to the whim of the moment. Until they have that, they are in no way “empowered.”
Here are some interesting recent articles:
“Trump Says He Loves the Military, but He Keeps Insulting Its Members”
“President Trump’s Standing Is Slipping with the Military, and for Good Reason”
“A Closer Look at Donald Trump’s Record on Military, Veterans”
And here are some that I wrote back before the 2016 election:
“Do You Honor and Respect the US Military? Pt. 1”